Saturday, April 4, 2009

Dylan & Otis Rush

Over on his website, Bob Dylan is giving away this tune-- Beyond Here Lies Nothing, to promote the upcoming album from which it was culled. It's a great tune, in fact I think it's my favorite Dylan song in decades, maybe since the Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid soundtrack, but it sounded awful familiar. It took a bit of brain racking but it finally dawned on me where I'd heard the tune before, it's Otis Rush's All Your Love (Cobra) with new lyrics. It's not just the melody and riff that Dylan copied but the entire ambiance of Rush's Cobra recordings are recreated on the Dylan tune. The saxophone has the same haunting, hollow tone, the echo of the room is nearly identical, he really went out of his way to channel the sound of that Rush got on his Cobra recordings (his first and best sides, you can find the complete Otis Rush on Cobra for download here, in two parts, note the password, but you should buy them and hear them properly). It was Rush's Cobra discs that Lester Bangs (who was turned on to them by Bob Quine and me who were raving about them when Flyright re-issued them in '80, I already had heard six of the tunes from a record trade with Jeff "Mono Man" Connelley which netted me three Rush Cobra 78's for a Sonics Etiquette 45) described as sounding like "being mugged by an iceberg". I haven't heard the rest of the Dylan record which is called Together For Life and is due to be released on April 28th, but I hope he just took the best Otis Rush Cobra tunes and re-wrote the lyrics. Is this plagiarism? I'm not so sure, I mean maybe Otis Rush got the tune from somebody else. As far as stealing "riffs", gimme a break, no one's come up with a new guitar riff since 1956. Let's face it, if you hold a guitar long enough you'll play a blues scale, and if you play a blues scale enough ways you'll play every rock'n'roll riff there is, if you play the blues scale backwards you've just played Rumble. Anyway, I don't really care if Dylan stole the tune or not, I just thought I'd bring up the subject since it's obvious Dylan's been listening to Otis Rush's Cobra recordings, and if you are a Bob Dylan fan you should listen to the Otis Rush discs too. Why? Cuz they're great records and you don't need Bob Dylan to tell you that. That's what I'm here for.

8 comments:

Ike's playing the solo on Double Trouble, he's also on All Of Your Love, My Baby's A Good 'Un and Keep Lovin' Me Baby with the Kings of Rhythm and Willie Dixon and Odie Payne. That from Leadbitter/Slaven Blues Records 1946-1970.

"Is this plagiarism?" Depends on: Is the tune by "Trad" or is it by Willie Dixon?

"I think it's my favorite Dylan song in decades" It's damn good, but I still prefer "Thunder On The Mountain" from Modern Times. Better lyrics. (I got the pork chops and she got the pie/She ain't no angel and neither am I) And I also loved that song from 2000 that was used in the movie The Wonder Boys. "Things Have Changed," that's the one. I used to care, but...things have changed. Very fin de siecle there!

"Double Trouble" This is where Stevie go the name for his band (but I'm sure ya'll knew that). Good article Mr. Hound! Never seen your blog before--is that you on the pipe? Great Googily Moo! Got to meet Otis Rush briefly at a gig once, he was awesome. Will tune in to His Bobness (as always! BIG FAN here) with an ear for Otis. Thanks!PS: Was "Great googily moo" the Spaniels or the 5 Royales? I cant remember... And I know no one else to ask! Thanks again.

James "The Hound" Marshall

James "The Hound" Marshall is a former WFMU deejay (1985-97), music writer and bar owner (Lakeside Lounge NYC, Circle Bar, New Orleans). He has contributed articles to dozens of mags and newspapers including the Village Voice, NY Times, LA Weekly, Spin, Penthouse Forum, New York Rocker, Newark Star-Ledger, East Village Eye, High Times (columnist for ten years), Kicks, and worse.
He also wrote liner notes to CD re-issues by Larry Williams and Johnny Guitar Watson, Ray Price, Eric Ambel, Challenge Records,The Okeh R&B Box, and others as well as compiling three volumes of the early rock'n'roll compilations Jook Block Busters (Valmor). At age 17 he edited two issues of the punk fanzine New Order (1977) He was born in Paterson, N.J. and raised mostly in Broward County, Florida, moving to New York City at age 18 in 1977 and has resided there ever since except for 1998-2002 when he split his time between New York and New Orleans. He has been acclaimed in print in the New York Times, Village Voice, Time Out New York, New York Magazine,The Manhattan Catalogue, and other publications you wouldn't be caught dead reading.